DEARBORN, Mich., ANAHEIM, Calif., November 13,

The SME Education Foundation has selected Esperanza High
School, Anaheim, Calif., as an exemplary school to participate in
its PRIME (Partnership Response In Manufacturing Education)
program, a comprehensive, community-based approach to manufacturing
education.

DEARBORN, Mich., ANAHEIM, Calif., November 13, 2012Esperanza High School,
Anaheim, Calif., has been named one of nine exemplary
schools selected by the SME Education Foundations PRIME
(Partnership Response in Manufacturing Education) 2013 program.
Launched in fall 2011 with the selection of six schools in six
different states, PRIME takes a community-based approach to
manufacturing education by creating strong partnerships between
organizations, businesses and exemplary schools.

The PRIME designation for Esperanza High School comes with a
three-year commitment by the SME Education Foundation to provide
assistance in creating and fostering strong partnerships with the
local manufacturing base to provide job shadows, mentoring and
internships. In addition, PRIME schools receive funds totaling
$35,000 for the three years to support post-secondary scholarships,
equipment upgrades, continuing education for instructors and a
STEM-based camp for middle school students.

Bart A. Aslin, CEO, SME Education Foundation says, Esperanza
High School was named an exemplary PRIME school because of their
skilled and dedicated instructors, engaged and active students,
strong administrative support, the right mix of academic and
real-world experience and the measureable success of their Engineering
and Manufacturing Academy.

At Esperanza, most of the PRIME funding will be directed to the
expansion of their University of California Irvine, (UCI)
Engineering Performance Program and Esperanzas Engineering and
Manufacturing Academy introduced in 2011.The Engineering and
Manufacturing Academy offers an Advanced Engineering and
Manufacturing Program that is a project and STEM (science,
technology, engineering and mathematics)-based course of study.

PRIME funding will also support field trips to increase student
awareness and the involvement of local business; continued
involvement of the PTA at Community Awareness events, and Counselor
Teas to motivate and inform counselors. Instructor training will be
provided for their geometry teacher using SolidWorks and MasterCam
to better illustrate to students how geometry relates to the
creation of a working part. This highly successful template for
manufacturing education has also been acknowledged by the Orange
County Board of Education who named it a model school.

Engineering Instructor, Larry Enyon and Manufacturing
Instructor, Dennis Walt Walters work hard to provide access to the
best possible in equipment and facilities. Says Walters, PRIME is
not about us, its about setting the bar, increasing awareness and
encouraging school districts to improve their relationships and
effectiveness as they work with local universities, business and
industry. Shared knowledge benefits our students. It is gratifying
to work one-on-one with our students and help them realize their
potential by understanding how to connect the dots. Every school
district should have a program like this for their district
students. No excuses.

Esperanzas CTE choices offer an introduction to Mechanical
Engineering with a two-semester class, Principles of Engineering
and Manufacturing. These classes articulate with California
State-Fullerton for three units of college credit at a cost $15.00.
Also, the University of California-Irvine accepts all of Esperanzas
CTE courses to be used for student GPA calculations for entrance.
The CTE Program provides high-achieving students with hands-on
experience to prepare them for challenging college engineering
programs and their future careers. Higher numbers of these students
have been transferring to this CTE program.

Students need to have some hands-on skills to see the relevancy,
says Enyon. We want to give industry students, who have mechanical
background in engineering and manufacturing, practical skills how
to use the machinery, tools and some design skills. The Esperanza
Class of 2013 consists of 400 students, all of which over 92
percent are expected to enroll in a college or university upon
graduation.

The focus at Esperanza has always been on the college-bound
student, says Walters. With the inception of the CTE Program, and
our Engineering and Manufacturing Academy, Esperanza offers two
pathways: the UC/CSU pathway student, the four-year university
student, and Community College/Industry Certificate pathway
students that we identify as our Mid-Kids. The Mid-Kid is being
introduced to the possibilities of a career in advanced or
high-tech manufacturing and future connections to a career if they
pursue industry certifications available through Esperanza. Also,
our academic instructors, in Geometry and Language Arts for
technical writing, have new enthusiasm for incorporating a Career
Readiness curriculum. Long-term, were also working on testing
procedures for Common Core Standards.

PRIME was developed as a response to the growing skills gap
crisis in the United States along with its greater mission to
inspire, prepare and support STEM-interested students. Upon
graduation, students leave school with the tools to further their
education and become skilled future innovators and contributors to
industry. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment
in professional, scientific, and technical services is expected to
grow by 29 percent, adding 2.1 million new jobs between 2010 and
2020.

In a new report, "Orange County Workforce Indicators Report
2012-2013, issued by the
Orange County Investment Board, the fast growth of high-tech
clusters in Orange County and future job opportunities will be
primarily located in the high-tech industry. It further states that
ensuring the future workforce is properly educated in science,
technology, engineering and math (STEM), is a critical first step
in establishing economic sustainability for Orange County
individuals and communities.

Esperanza High School, Anaheim,
California, is a comprehensive four-year public high school
that is part of the
Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District. The school
serves an enrollment of 1808 students of the primarily residential
community in the northeast part of Orange County. It is a
California Distinguished School and is home to numerous academic
clubs and various C.I.F. championship athletic programs. With an
API of 861, the schools rank is in the top 25 percent of Orange
County high schools and in May 2007, received a full six-year clear
accreditation by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.
Visit: http://www.esperanzahs.com/

About the SME Education Foundation:

The SME Education Foundation is committed to inspiring, supporting
and preparing the next generation of manufacturing engineers and
technologists in the advancement of manufacturing education.
Created by the Society of Manufacturing Engineers in 1979, the SME
Education Foundation has provided more than $31 million since 1980
in grants, scholarships and awards through its partnerships with
corporations, organizations, foundations, and individual donors.
Visit the SME Education Foundation at www.smeef.org.
Also visit our award-winning website for young people at www.ManufacturingisCool.com,
and www.CareerMe.org for
information on advanced manufacturing careers.